In stitches: - the highs and lows of life as an A&E doctor
Dr Nick Edwards
Published Friday Books. 2007 ISBN978-1-905548-70-5
Passion is not fashionable at the moment and enthusiasm and commitment
are seen as seriously "uncool". As someone unable to adopt such
a view it was a great joy to find these attributes prominent in Nick Edwards
book.
"In stitches" is a series of vignettes from the author's experience
as a trainee in A& E. They convey vividly the satisfactions as well
as the frustrations of working in this environment. What they also vividly
convey is the extent to which the frustrations are engendered by the system
rather than the patients, and particularly by recent political changes;
by the target driven culture and by the progressive alienation of those
who run our health services from those who provide and use them.
Individual cases may make bad law but they are the only thing that makes
good medicine and the effects of health service "reform" on
real patients in real life situations demonstrates the stupidity of what
is happening in a way that abstract political argument, however logical
and well argued, can not.
The reader cannot know of course which of the episodes are literally true,
but from 25 years in A&E I can certainly vouch for the fact that they
all could be true and probably have been true somewhere at some
time in a specialty in which truth is indeed often stranger than fiction.
The book would be enjoyed by those of the general public who are not too
squeamish, though they will probably not think it credible. It should
be compulsory reading for all hospital managers and politicians. who should
at least recognise that it is credible. Many of the episodes, interestingly,
come from the night shifts, which will never be experienced by the policy
makers who cause Nick Edwards as many problems as his patients and reading
the book would be bettered only by having the same managers and politicians
share Nick Edwards night shifts and see the effects of their policies
at first hand. I was reminded of Tony Blair's bemusement at finding that
patients could no longer book an appointment more than 48 hours ahead
even if they wanted to. The law of unintended consequences is still working
well in Emergency medicine.
Perhaps the most damning indictment of Health Service politics however
is the fact that Nick Edwards is not the author's real name and that he
does not feel it safe even to join the NHSCA under his real name until
he has secured a consultant post.
It seems that the NHS is all for diversity as long as it does not involve
diversity of political views. We need people like Nick Edwards to tell
unpalatable truths and reveal the emperor’s new clothes for what
they are.
I hope he gets a consultant post soon and feels he can "come out"
once he does.
Janet Porter
|
The NHS Consultants' Association
